Sat,May 12, 2018 - Page 8

[ LETTERS]

Nonsense, childish bullying

After he lifted presidential term limits,Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) attempted to interpret the cross-strait“status quo” by himself, dispatched fighter jets over Taiwanese airspace and claimed Taiwan as his territory. Now he has become even greedier, acting likethe king of the world by demanding that international airlines follow his orders.

The Chinese Civil Aviation Administrationtold US carriers that they should remove any information suggesting thatTaiwan, Hong Kong or Macau are not part of China.

In response, White House press secretarySarah Huckabee Sanders on Saturday last week said: “This is Orwellian nonsense and part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies.”

However, China cannot provide any proof ofwhen and how Taiwan became an “inalienable part” of its territory. After the Qing emperor ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895, Taiwan was not related to China anymore. Taiwan was still part of Japanese territory in 1949 when the People’sRepublic of China (PRC) was founded. Japan renounced all rights, title and claim to Formosa and the Pescadores under the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which was signed in 1951 and took effect on April 28, 1952. Taiwan has never been partof PRC territory.

American Institute in Taipei Chairman James Moriarty last week delivered a speech titled “The US and Taiwan: An Enduring Partnership” at Stanford University. He condemned China’s Orwellian nonsense of demanding that Web sites of international organizations and companies not list Taiwan as a country.

“It’s unjustified and does not accomplish anything. It’s bullying, and it’s childish,” he said.

Moriarty pointed out that stability in theTaiwan Strait is essential and the US is committed to supporting Taiwan. However, that commitment alone will not secure Taiwan against the backdrop of an increasingly complex cross-strait environment. Taiwan must do its part to invest in capabilities that deter aggression.